University of Nevada–Las Vegas (UNLV) School of Medicine Secondary Essay Prompts

1. Describe how your background and future goals will contribute to the mission of the UNLV School of Medicine. (250 words)

Start by reviewing the UNLV School of Medicine mission and goals here. Next, brainstorm what is unique about your background. Is it your place of birth, your family, your culture, or your path to medicine. Also consider prior adversity you have had to overcome and how that has shaped your values. Consider 1-2 of these experiences and weave a story about them which show your unique characteristics. Specifically answer how this can contribute to the UNLV mission; consider the effect you might have on your peers, professors and patients. Try to incorporate an element of how your unique characteristics will help achieve the goals they set forth in the link above.

2. Provide a BRIEF chronological summary of your time since graduating from high school up to the point of applying to medical school. (250 words)

The key here is to not repeat the personal statement or primary application. The admissions committee already has all that info, so now you need to bring something new. This is difficult to achieve in only 250 words. Try to give an overall synopsis of your path from end of high school until now, and connect it together at the end to demonstrate how this culminated in your current preparation to be a great medical student.

3. If you have any other information you believe is important for the Admissions Committee to consider, please include it here. You are limited to 250 words. Do not restate information already in your primary AMCAS application.

For this prompt you will likely need to be creative and discuss something less conventionally discussed in an application setting, as the prompt specifically asks you not to repeat the primary application. Consider discussing the following: a unique personal attribute not otherwise described in the application; a formative experiences that was not touched on by your other application components; a skill or interest such as sports, music, etc. that you are passionate about; an influential person in your life and how they instruct your values; a particularly moving book or concept which is relevant to your values. In each scenario, if possible try to connect the experience to your ability and desire to become in a doctor (without stretching the truth or making the answer sound contrived).